Rodale Institute

TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF PEOPLE AND THE PLANET THROUGH ORGANIC LEADERSHIP.

STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS TEAM (SST), ORGANIC CONSULTANCY & OTHER EDUCATION:(1) RESEARCH: RODALE INSTITUTE'S RESEARCH FOCUSES ON THREE PRIMARY AREAS: GROWING REGENERATIVE ORGANIC AGRICULTURE, MITIGATING AND ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE, AND SOLVING FOOD INSECURITY BY GROWING NUTRIENT-DENSE FOODS. THERE ARE CURRENTLY MORE THAN 25 RESEARCH PROJECTS TAKING PLACE AT OUR 386-ACRE EXPERIMENTAL FARM IN KUTZTOWN, PA. AREAS OF FOCUS INCLUDE ORGANIC SOIL IMPROVEMENT AND FERTILITY, CROP NUTRIENT DENSITY, WEED MANAGEMENT, NO-TILL PRODUCTION, COVER CROPS, CROP-LIVESTOCK INTEGRATION, AND WATER QUALITY. INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS INCLUDE INVESTIGATIONS OF SOIL CARBON ACCRUAL, PRODUCTION AND USE OF MYCORRHIZAL INOCULUM, NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT IN ORGANIC SYSTEMS, AND IMPROVED TECHNIQUES FOR COMPOST MANAGEMENT [CONT. ON SCHED. O.]AND PEST AND DISEASE PREVENTION. RODALE INSTITUTE OPERATES NINE SATELLITE LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. FIVE OF THESE CAMPUSES ARE LOCATED IN PENNSYLVANIA AND INCLUDE AN ORGANIC FARM AT A ST. LUKE'S UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL NETWORK LOCATION, A REGIONAL RESOURCE CENTER AT POCONO RACEWAY CALLED POCONO ORGANICS, A FARM AT ACTIVE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY CORNWALL MANOR, AND THE HISTORIC RODALE INSTITUTE FOUNDERS FARM IN EMMAUS, PA. RODALE INSTITUTE ALSO HAS FOUR ADDITIONAL REGIONAL RESOURCES CENTERS, LOCATED IN IOWA, GEORGIA, ITALY, AND CALIFORNIA, WHICH OPERATE AS EDUCATIONAL AND RESEARCH HUBS IN AGRICULTURAL STRONGHOLDS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. OUR FARMING SYSTEMS TRIAL, INITIATED IN 1981, IS THE LONGEST-RUNNING SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARISON OF CONVENTIONAL AND ORGANIC GRAIN CROPPING SYSTEMS IN NORTH AMERICA. OUR RESEARCH COMPARES THE NUTRIENT DENSITY, ECONOMICS, ENERGY USE, AND SOIL HEALTH OF ORGANIC AND CONVENTIONAL FARMING TECHNIQUES, AMONG OTHER VARIABLES.THROUGH A GRANT PROVIDED BY THE WILLIAM PENN FOUNDATION AND A PARTNERSHIP WITH STROUD WATER RESEARCH CENTER, IN 2018 WE BEGAN A SIMILAR SIDE-BY-SIDE TRIAL AT THE NATURAL LANDS TRUST STROUD PRESERVE. THE UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS LAND ENABLE US TO MEASURE THE EFFECTS OF AGRICULTURAL RUN-OFF TO THE DELAWARE WATERSHED FROM CONVENTIONAL VS. ORGANIC SYSTEMS.IN 2016, WE INITIATED THE VEGETABLE SYSTEMS TRIAL, A LONG-TERM, SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARISON OF ORGANIC AND CONVENTIONAL VEGETABLE SYSTEMS. OUR GOAL IS TO DEVELOP ECONOMICALLY VIABLE SYSTEMS THAT IMPROVE SOIL, PLANT, HUMAN, AND PLANETARY HEALTH THROUGH THE APPLICATION OF REGENERATIVE ORGANIC MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES ON HUMAN CONSUMABLE CROPS. WE EXPECT THE STUDY TO CONTINUE FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS, ENABLING US TO MONITOR SOIL HEALTH, VEGETABLE NUTRITIONAL QUALITY, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT, AGROECOSYSTEM RESILIENCE, AND THE ECONOMICS OF VEGETABLE PRODUCTION OVER TIME WHILE ASSESSING HOW DIFFERENT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY AFFECT HUMAN HEALTH. (2) ON OUR FARM: OUR FARM IS A DIVERSE OPERATION INCLUDING HERITAGE BREED LIVESTOCK, ORGANIC APPLE PRODUCTION, NO-TILL ORGANIC PRODUCTION OF GRAIN AND VEGETABLE CROPS, COMPOSTING, GREENHOUSE OPERATIONS, A TREATMENT-FREE HONEYBEE CONSERVANCY, AND INTEGRATION OF PASTURE INTO ORGANIC CROP ROTATIONS. AMONG OTHER FOCUS AREAS, WE OFFER HANDS-ON EDUCATION TO BEGINNING FARMERS THROUGH SEVERAL INTERNSHIP PAYWAYS: OUR VETERAN FARMER TRAINING PROGRAM IS A FLEXIBLE, 2-4 MONTH PROGRAM SERVING MILITARY VETERANS, AND THE RODALE INSTITUTE FARMER TRAINING PROGRAM ALLOWS US TO TRAIN NEW FARMERS ON EVERYTHING FROM ORGANIC GROWING TO MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION. ADDITIONAL INTERNSHIPS IN COMMUNICATIONS, GARDENING, MULTIMEDIA, LIVESTOCK, AND RESEARCH GIVE TRAINEES THE OPPORTUNITY TO FOCUS ON AN AREA OF THEIR CHOOSING.RODALE INSTITUTE ALSO OPERATES AN ORGANIC CONSULTING SERVICE, HELPING FARMERS ALL AROUND THE U.S. TRANSITION TO ORGANIC, AND A VIRTUAL CAMPUS OFFERING DIGITAL COURSES IN ORGANIC FARMING AND GARDENING. (3) HUMAN HEALTH: WE ARE INVESTIGATING THE POTENTIAL LINKS BETWEEN SOIL HEALTH AND HUMAN HEALTH THROUGH OUR VEGETABLE SYSTEMS TRIAL AND HAVE EMBARKED ON SEVERAL PARTNERSHIPS TO FURTHER OUR WORK IN THIS AREA. THE ST. LUKE'S-RODALE INSTITUTE ORGANIC FARM IS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN RODALE INSTITUTE AND THE ST. LUKE'S UNIVERSITY HEALTH NETWORK, PROVIDING ORGANIC PRODUCE TO HOSPITAL PATIENTS AND STAFF AT TEN HOSPITALS IN THE ST. LUKE'S NETWORK. PARTNERSHIPS WITH PENN STATE HERSHEY MEDICAL CENTER AND THE PLANTRICIAN PROJECT ENABLE US TO DEEPEN OUR INVESTIGATION OF THE SOIL-HUMAN HEALTH CONNECTION, INCLUDING IN A NEW CONFERENCE FOR HEALTHCARE PRACTITIONERS.

COMMUNICATIONSOUTREACH AND EDUCATION: OUR RESEARCH FINDINGS ARE SHARED WITH FARMERS, EXTENSION AGENTS, STUDENTS, POLICY MAKERS, AND THE PUBLIC THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, EMAIL MARKETING, CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS, FIELD DAYS, WEBINARS, VIRTUAL PANELS, EVENTS, MEDIA OUTREACH AND OUR WEBSITE, RODALEINSTITUTE.ORG, WHICH SEES MORE THAN 1 MILLION VISITORS PER YEAR.